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Left: November 9, 1984. Right: November 28, 2011. The Dead Sea lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, bordering Jordan, Israel and the West Bank. It is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, too salty to harbor any life other than bacteria. Minerals from the sea, however, are extracted for various industrial purposes. Mineral evaporation ponds have replaced open water in the southern part of the sea, as can be seen in the 2011 image. In recent decades, the Dead Sea has shrunk as water has been diverted from the Jordan River, the sea’s main tributary. A plan has been announced to replenish the Dead Sea by building a canal from the Red Sea, providing fresh (desalinated) water to Jordan en route.

Major cities in Asia are growing at top speed. The members of the new middle class are massively buying scooters. Their first step towards the holy cow of civilization: the car. Trafic during rush hour in Saigon is still moving at a pleasant speed. This will be over when all these drivers can afford a car.

Little is left of the Jordan River. Most of the water is diverted for irrigating farmlands and supplying cities. Few rivers have spawned conflict like the Jordan River has. Years of below average rainfall forced the bordering countries to search for alternative sources. The ultimate project is a proposed conveyance system between the Red Sea and Dead Sea. ‘It is the only major project in which Israel, the Palestine Authorities and Jordan cooperate.’

Wether they own half an acre of land or massive farms of thousands of acres. The farmers of Egypt all have to work with the same problem: water scarcity. In a country that is 95% desert, water becomes a more precious resource than anywhere else in the world. And these farmers themselves know best how carelessly the rest of the Egyptians treat it. The Nile, when it reaches the Mediterranean is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. The water has been used several times by farmers, industry and cities. It contains high quantities of pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals and other industrial and city waste.

Still the delta farmers have one of the highest yields per hectare in the world. Proof of the fertility of the soil.

Farmer Mr. Mohammad Al Sahour near his farm in the Nile River Delta. He is unhappy because no clean river water reaches his fields. He needs to irrigate with waste water from a drainage canal.

The Egyptian Nile delta is one of the most fertile areas in the world. Therefore it is no wonder that this region has been used for intensive farming for decades. Although the Nile delivers a constant flow of fresh water, farmers will have to improve the rate of efficiency of their irrigation.

Millions and millions of small farmers establish the backbone of Egypt`s farming sector. Only a few dozen of large agricultural companies produce on a professional level that is comparable to European standards. According to some people, the future of Egypt`s agriculture lies in the desert. Others disagree. All agree, though, on one aspect: water for agriculture is scarce. And it is getting scarcer.

20 million then, 80 million nowadays, 150 million in the near future. Egypt’s population is exploding. All these people have to share the same amount of water, that mainly comes from Egypt’s lifeline the Nile. According to a recent study, Egypt’s demand for water will exceed the supply in 2017. How to avoid such a situation? Will there be enough water for all?

Egypt and Ethiopia have some of the fastest growing populations in the world. Both countries went from 20 million in the 1950s to 80 million now and 150 million inhabitants in the near future. Almost all these people depend on from the Nile for their surival. The previous Egyptian Water Minister even threatened with a water war, should Ethiopia build a dam in the Nile. The struggle for survival has begun.

Lake Victoria, fish till you dropMarch 18, 2014Lake Victoria is abundant with fish. But the invasive Nile Perch, which is good for trade is a danger to the native species in the lake. For most fishermen, life is still very hard and their productions is just enough … Continue reading →

South Sudan, a new future based on age old traditionsMarch 18, 2014South Sudan is the youngest country in the world. After a 30 year old civil war the country finally managed to secede from Sudan. Through internal strife and difficulties the country works hard to develop into a full fletched state.

Nai010 publishers, Rotterdam will be publishing a book based on this project in early 2015. To find out how your organization or company can become a sponsor of the publication send an email to info@nai010.com.

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The project is an initiative of a group of independent reporters and photographers with a preference for slow journalism. We’re using crowdfunding for our assignments to produce these in-depth mutli-media reports. We’d be very grateful for your support, if you would like to help fund our work, visit our donate page where you will find suggestions on how to help Disputed Waters.

Disputed Waters is a large multimedia project initiated by a group of Dutch photographers. It is a blend of quality investigative journalism, documentary photography and videography. Together with journalists and videographers they will report on several transboundary rivers where water may become a source of conflict due to climate change.